Background
The international Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project aims to
construct the world’s largest radio telescope – 100
times as sensitive as present instruments – by 2015. A number
of design concepts for the instrument are now in the prototype
and demonstration phase; a selection of technology for the SKA
will be made in 2007-8. Regardless of which concepts are chosen,
the scale of the project makes it certain that industry will be
involved in the design, construction and operation of the instrument.
SKA Industry Interaction
Basics
As a matter of principle the international
SKA project, and its associated national and regional programs,
welcome interest from potential industry partners. In general
terms any joint research and development is viewed as a shared-risk
endeavour, with SKA consortia and industry each contributing to
defined activities. In some countries industry is able to offset
or recoup its contribution via government funding programs or
the tax system. The SKA has an agreed policy on intellectual
property (IP) developed under its aegis. Broadly, industry
partners exploit their own IP contributions in arenas outside
the SKA project but innovations are available to the SKA project
free of any licensing charge.
Advantages of Collaboration
Some benefits of joint R&D with the SKA
community are:
• The opportunity to grow and hone the creative
energies of the best professionals in an imaginative project whose
aim is no less than to chart the history of the Universe;
• The ability to perfect leading-edge techniques
and products in a very demanding application, and to interact
with highly technologically sophisticated users;
• The ability to generate and share information
with other R&D partners – both institutional and industrial
– in a benign and commercially non-threatening environment;
• The visibility flowing from association
with an innovative, high profile, international mega-science project;
and
• The potential for early involvement and
favourable positioning in a $/€ 1 billion project spanning
a wide range of engineering and computing disciplines.
Stages in Collaboration
The SKA project plan contains a number of key dates, each of which
is relevant to commercial entities interested in the project.
A list of dates and potential opportunities around these times
is set out in the table below.
| Year |
Milestone |
Notes |
| 2003 |
Initial siting proposals received from four
countries |
Scope for continuing industry involvement in
national site characterization |
| 2004 |
Plans for national SKA demonstrators submitted |
Possible industry links to national SKA technology development
programs |
| 2005 |
Final SKA site submissions |
|
| 2006 |
Choice of SKA site
Critical review of technology demonstrator programs |
Additional industry links possible in development
of objective international methodology for technology selection
and risk management |
| 2008 |
Choice of SKA technology |
|
| 2008 |
Construction of on-site SKA demonstrator (5% SKA area) |
Likely industry participation in infrastructure provision,
and instrument design and construction |
| 2012 |
Construction of SKA |
Maximum industry involvement at levels of final design,
project management, and construction contracts and sub-contracts
|
| 2015 |
Stage 1 SKA complete and operational |
Industry opportunities in commissioning, operations and
maintenance |
| 2020 |
SKA complete |
Continuing operations and maintenance role for industry
|
See
opportunities for industry links
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